PastorsPage - Erwin Church of God

If you would like to read more of Pastor Edwards' messages, go to http://www.myspace.com/pastorjohnedwards and click on blog. This is where his messages are archived.

Several people have asked me lately to define Erwin Church of God. "What is it that Erwin Church of God stands for?" For a long time I just gave the normal answer, "To win the lost," or "to fulfill the great commission." But recently, God drew my attention to a picture that has been hanging in my office for years, and I think it truly answers the question "Who is Erwin Church of God?"

I AM A SOLDIER

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, in the army of my God.

The Lord Jesus is my Commander-in-Chief.

My Pastor is my commanding officer.

The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.

Faith, Prayer, and the Word are my weapons of warfare.

I have been taught by the Holy Spirit,

trained by experience,

tried by adversity,

and tested by fire.

I am being led by God and led by my Pastor.

I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.

I will either retire in this army at the Rapture, or die in this army;

but I will not get out, sell out, or be talked out.

I will be faithfull, capable, and dependable.

If my God needs me, I am available.

If He needs me in Sunday School, to teach children, work with youth, help adults

or just sit and learn, He can use me, because I am there.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.

I am not a baby;

I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up,

pumped up, picked up, or pepped up.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.

No one has to call me, remind me, write me

visit me, entice me, or lure me.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.

I am not a wimp, I am in place, saluting my King,

obeying His orders, praising His name

and building His Kingdom!

I am following my Pastor, as he follows Christ.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.

No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.

I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.

I am committed.

I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing.

If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead.

I will win!

My God will supply all of my needs.

I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph.

I can do all things through Christ.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.

People can't disillusion me, weather cannot weary me,

sickness cannot stop me, battles cannot defeat me,

Evils cannot conquer me and. . .

HELL CANNOT HANDLE ME!

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.

Even death cannot destroy me,

for when my Commander-in-Chief calls me from this battlefield,

He will promote me to a captain, and then bring me back to rule this world with Him.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior in His army,

and I am marching, claiming victory.

I will not give up, I will not turn around.

I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, marching Heaven bound.

HERE I STAND, WILL YOU STAND WITH ME?

author unknown

Welcome to Erwin Church of God on-line! Please allow me to introduce myself.

I am Bishop John Edwards, and I am the Senior Pastor here at ECOG. I am 39years old, and am a 1987 graduate of Unicoi County High School. This May (2009) marks my 24th year of pulpit ministry, and my 18th year of Pastoral ministry. I have served in nearly all areas of ministry, youth, evangelism, administration, education, media, print, publishing, bereavement, and pastoral ministries, to name a few. I have also served the Kingdom of God all across the great state of Tennessee, East, Middle, and West. This has given me and my family a wide range of experience to bring to bear on the needs of this church and community. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will move in me, moulding these God given experiences into tools that He can use to win souls in this community.

Erwin Church of God has a great history, this June will mark 86 years of winning souls and preaching the Pentecostal message in Unicoi County. It is my desire and prayer, in 2009, that we continue this legacy, seeing a renewed and revived dedication to the full message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; not only that Jesus is love, but also that He is provider, healer, comforter, friend, protector, and, thank God, SAVIOR. Erwin Church of God was one of the first to preach "holiness" in Erwin, we must remember that legacy, and honor the work that has been done on Rock Creek, and in all of Unicoi County by bringing holiness back to our world, and that begins right here. We begin by teaching, by word and example, that holiness is not a doctrine, but a lifetime commitment. It is not a belief that is exclusive to Pentecostal churches, but is is a fundamental tenant of Christianity, found repeatedly in the Scriptures. The Word admonishes us to "follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" Hebrews 12:14 kjv, and to live "In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life", Luke 1:75 kjv.

I believe that the only hope for our world is unity in the church. First in the local church family, the only way that we can claim the victory over sin that Christ won for us at the resurrection is to stand in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We wonder why our churches are declining, it is because we have forsaken our unity. Second, we must find unity in the larger Christian community. That is to say, that we must stand together in unity with the churches around us, outside our four walls, and across our denominational walls. How do we do that you ask? By focusing on two things: 1. What does the word say? Not what is our interpretation but what does it say. 2. What do we have in common? That is easy, if we are Christians, we worship Jesus Christ in the free pardon of sin and the Grace of God provided by the blood of Jesus Christ.

So I say, "CELEBRATE JESUS, FOR HE IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED!"

May the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ be with you all,

Bishop John Edwards, Senior Pastor, Erwin Church of God

Everyone please check out this link which will take you to a series of videos entitled "Missional Message" from our Presiding Bishop Dr. Raymond Culpepper:

http://churchofgod.org/index.php?page=missional-video